First Lady Announces 15,000 Jobs for Military Spouses

First Lady Michelle Obama yesterday unveiled a new hiring effort that will deliver thousands of portable, flexible job opportunities to military spouses.

Eleven companies have pledged more than 15,000 jobs for military spouses and veterans, with the vast majority of jobs – in areas such as customer support and telemarketing — offering opportunities to work from home.

Other positions will offer family-friendly scheduling and growth opportunities at locations near military bases with the ability to transfer between them, should the family need to move.

This commitment will make a “huge difference” for military spouses, Obama said during a teleconference announcing this effort. “Having an opportunity to have a decent job … is one of the most important ways we can support these families,” she said.

Obama cited her own struggles with that work-life balance. As a working mother, she said, she fought for the type of flexibility these jobs offer throughout her career.

The first lady’s achievement culminates a year’s worth of effort along with Dr. Jill Biden for their Joining Forces project. Obama and the vice president’s wife, launched this national initiative one year ago to rally the nation in support of troops, veterans and their families, particularly in the area of employment.

Here are some of the companies providing key commitments:

— Alpine Access has pledged to recruit, train, and hire more than 3,000 military-connected Americans over the next two years. The company also will launch TalentSprout, an online portal with skill-building and job training curriculum. These career and personal development courses will be offered free-of-charge to qualified members of the armed forces and to their eligible spouses and caregivers.

— Arise Virtual Solutions Inc. plans to add 10,000 new independent business and client services professionals from military families over the next several years. Arise also intends to develop special programs to create awareness among military spouses and veterans.

— DialAmerica aims to increase the number of military-affiliated employees to make up 20 percent of its workforce by 2014.

— Hilton Hotels employs nearly 800 military-related employees at their hotels and offices around the globe. In partnership with Recruit Military and other community-based organizations, Hilton Worldwide is pledging another 3.5 percent of their “Hilton @ Home” call center positions to military spouses through 2014.

— Veteran Call Center, LLC plans to create an additional 1,000 jobs for military spouses and veterans over the next two years.

These companies and their job opportunities also will be integrated into the Defense Department’s Military Spouse Employment Partnership. MSEP is a partnership with more than 100 private-sector companies that have committed to a focused effort on military spouse employment.